Pit People

Sunday we explored Psalm 40 in worship.

It is a personal lament that includes a song of thanksgiving. Several praise songs use literal portions of this psalm in their lyrics. You can see them in the first three verses:

40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

Being in a "pit" is a common expression in the Old Testament. It conjurs up the image of being in an empty cistern, or well that is covered with mud and mire at the bottom. In Jeremiah's case it was a literal pit (see Jeremiah 38). When you are in a pit, you are in a place that requires help. You can't get out by yourself, it's too deep, plus the mud, muck and mire hold you down like glue. Sometimes we end up in a pit because of personal sin (as is the case in Ps. 40, see verse 12) and other times its through no fault of our own, or circumstances beyond our control. Regardless of how we got there, one thing is common about being in a life pit: you want to get out! Or do we?

The psalmist cried out to God for rescue from his pit. He knew only God could save him from sinking deeper and deeper. But unlike the psalmist some of us have become comfortable in our pits. It's as if we wear the pit of life as a badge of courage. We have discovered that being in a pit evokes sympathy, or pity from others. Staying in the pit allows us to focus on the negatives of life. It's dark, dreary and hopeless. Despite our knowledge of God as rescuer, we choose to remain in the pit and complain. We mumble and gripe. Pretty soon no one wants to be around us, except for those who are just like us, our fellow Pit People. We are incapable of singing because the joy of rescue is no longer a fresh experience, or memory for us. It's hard to recall the grace and favor of God when you choose to focus on muck and mud. Growing up my father frequently referred to negative people as a "stick in the mud". It's a person who has forgotten, or never known the joy of God's rescue. He/she would rather wallow in the mud of negativity and a critical spirit.

So many self-professing, Christ-followers have this unrealistic and unbiblical notion that a life committed to Christ is free from pain, trouble and rough water. That lie came straight from the pit of hell in an effort to diminish the glorious grace of God. Martin Luther King Jr., said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Maybe you are in a pit right now. Perhaps the mud and muck of life is trying to swallow you. Don't get overwhelmed. Cry out to God. He will hear your cry and He will rescue. However, remember the psalmist "waited on the Lord". Rescue will come, but it's not on our timetable. There may be a lesson we need to learn by staying in the mud for longer than we would like. God's rescue happens when God is ready, but rest assured He longs to rescue us. If you doubt just how serious God is about rescuing those who cry out to Him, you need look no farther than the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God gave the best that He had to offer to rescue us from ourselves and the pit of sin!

When God rescues the psalmist says He gives us a new song to sing: "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God." I don't know about you, but I am desperate at times for a new song. I need rescue so bad that I cry out to God in desperation. And every time, when He is ready, I am rescued. It doesn't mean my rescue comes without consequences, hard work, or pain.

The song of deliverance is the sweetest song ever sung. When we sing it, we declare to the world the glory of THE Rescuer. Now that's the song of redemption, salvation and grace!